My Buddy
by caseymac42
Summary: They say dog is man's best friend...and in Mike Stoker's case, this has never been truer. This is a sequel to A Faithful Friend Lost, and A Faithful Friend Gained, however it can be read as a stand alone story.


**My Buddy**

It had been almost a year since Buddy, a German shepherd/husky mix, had come into Mike's life. During that year the two of them had become inseparable, much like he had been with his dog Spencer for all of those years. With few exceptions, wherever Mike went, Buddy was never far behind. While Mike was on duty, Buddy stayed next door with his neighbors, Tim and Debra Carpenter, who had also taken care of Spencer for all the years prior when he had been on duty.

On this particular morning, after taking Buddy for his early morning walk, and feeding him, Mike gave his sweet boy a hug, and left him with his neighbors. Returning home, he proceeded to get ready for work, as the general malaise that he had started to feel two days earlier, started to become a bit more pronounced.

To allow himself a little extra time to relax at the station before the start of the new shift, Mike opted to wear his uniform to work. Making sure to turn off all the lights, he grabbed his overnight bag, keys, and locked up the house.

Getting into his pick-up truck, Mike exhaled loudly and leaned his head back for a few moments before starting up the engine. While he may not have felt the best, he also didn't feel like he was at death's door either, and had made up his mind that calling out for the shift was not an option. Wearily reaching forward, Mike put the key in the ignition and gave the engine a minute to warm up. While waiting, he turned on the radio to listen to his favorite radio station, hoping that the music would help perk him up.

Making his way to the station, Mike desperately hoped for a light shift, though he knew the chance of that happening was probably slim to none.

When he turned into the station lot, he felt his stomach do a slight flip flop as he went over a small bump, something that certainly didn't do anything to lift his spirits or ease his current frame of mind.

Pulling into his usual space in the lot, Mike parked his truck, and sat with his arms and head resting on the steering wheel for a few moments. He needed the extra time to gather the necessary energy to reach for his overnight bag, and to get out of the vehicle.

Walking slowly to the station door, Mike hoped that C-shift was out on a call, or at the very least the engine was out. If only the engine had been out that would have meant that only the two paramedics would have been around to bother him with the usual idle chit chat.

Entering the station, Mike quickly peeked into the vehicle bay and was relieved to see no engine or squad parked there. He then made his way to the locker room where he stowed his things in his locker, then walked out to the squad room and over to the couch. Tiredly plopping down at one end, he rested his left elbow on the arm rest, and his head on his hand, and closed his eyes.

As luck would have it, arriving early as well was Marco. Only having minimal medical training, the firefighter may not have had a large knowledge of medicine, but what he did have was a sensitivity that made him very attuned to his crewmates' moods and demeanors. Observing the sleeping engineer, Marco's sensitivity had told him that something wasn't quite right with his friend.

Not quite sure how long he had dozed off for, Mike opened his eyes. Seeing Marco standing there looking at him, with an expression that read half worried, and half curious, Mike wasn't sure how to respond.

"Hey Marco. How long have you been standing there?" Mike asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Long enough. You alright?" asked the firefighter, doubting the answer that he was sure Mike would give him.

"I'm fine, just tired. C-shift back yet?"

Marco shook his head. "No. Are you really sure that you're okay?"

Trying to paste a smile on his face, Mike wasn't very convincing. "Yes, I'm really sure. Don't I look okay?"

Studying the engineer's face, Marco tried to look for signs that he wasn't okay. While Mike didn't outwardly appear sick, he also didn't seem to have his usual easygoing smile and demeanor.

"I guess. If you're so tired, maybe a cup of coffee is what you need?"

Shaking his head, Mike sighed softly. "No thanks. I'm fine. Just do me a favor, Marco…don't make a big deal out of this little exchange of ours. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to Captain Stanley, and especially not to Roy or John."

Hearing the gentle pleading in the engineer's voice, Marco knew how important it was to Mike that he kept this "thing" private. But it also raised some red flags in Marco's mind. It would be something that Marco would ultimately agree to keep private, but a decision that he knew he would probably come to regret.

"Yeah…sure. Just promise me one thing, Mike…whatever it is that is going on with you…if it gets to a point where you need a helping hand, please let the guys know."

Hearing the sincerity in his friend's voice, Mike was touched at his worry. "I will, Marco…but really I am fine."

Pushing his weary body up from the couch, Mike unfurled his tall frame. As he stood up, his stomach did another flip-flop, catching him a little off-guard.

Noting Mike's hesitation and awkward movement once he was again fully erect, Marco was concerned that something was wrong, but held his tongue.

"I'm fine, Marco."

Not quite sure what to do next, Mike's decision was made for him when Captain Stanley entered the room.

"Michael…Marco, good morning."

"Morning Cap, "Marco greeted their captain.

Catching the two men standing there, Hank had a feeling that he had interrupted something.

"Everything alright, fellas?"

"Fine…everything is fine," replied Mike a little too quickly.

"Okay. Well, I'm going to check out the log book…see what kind of shift these guys have had. I'd get all the rest now that I could, because we have a lot to do this shift."

Watching as Hank left them to make his way to the office, Mike decided that moving around would be better for him than to just be sitting around. As he started to move away from the couch, Marco wondered where his friend was headed to.

"Can I get you anything, Mike?"

Shaking his head slowly, the engineer answered. "No, I'm good. Just going to get a drink of water."

Hearing the sound of voices drifting from the locker room, Marco guessed that the rest of their crew had arrived.

Slowly sipping some water from his glass, Mike tried to get himself mentally prepared for the onslaught that he knew would be coming from his friends, mainly Johnny and Chet.

In the locker room, Johnny and Chet were already going at it at full strength.

"Great job on that double date, Gage. I highly doubt that those two chicks will be calling us again, at least not any time soon."

Glaring at his nemesis, Johnny shook his head. "Speak for yourself, Chet. If anyone embarrassed himself, it was YOU. I was just trying to be helpful."

Listening to bits and pieces of the conversation as he was getting changed into his uniform, a part of Roy was more than a bit curious as to what had transpired on the double date in question, but on the other hand…he didn't want to get involved.

"Roy…you have even admitted on occasion that Gage here is a nut, did you not?"

BINGO…he was now involved.

Sighing loudly, Roy shrugged his shoulders. "Keep me outta this…please. The squad and engine are both still out. That means that we'll have plenty of work to do before we even get our chores done. And I am sure that Captain Stanley has other things in mind for us to do, as well. So if I were you guys…I'd give it a rest. This is going to be a busy shift. If you two are like this now…well, need I say more?"

Finishing up with buttoning his blue uniform shirt, Roy closed his locker door, and left to find some quiet…and to move away from the storm that was Gage-Kelly.

"You can forget about anymore double dates with me, Gage. I was only doing you a favor, anyway."

Going out to the squad room, Roy smiled at Marco who was sitting at the table drinking some coffee, and at Mike who was leaning against the counter.

"Good morning, Marco…Mike."

"Hi there, Roy," returned Marco.

"Hey, how's it going?" greeted Mike tonelessly.

Still a little irritated from hearing Johnny and Chet's inane argument, Roy didn't quite catch the engineer's less than bright greeting.

"If I have to hear anymore of Chet and Johnny's bickering, I'm going to scream."

Trying to sound interested, and not touch off any warning bells with the senior paramedic, Mike tried to act interested in hearing about their latest argument.

"What are they fighting about?"

"Some double date they had a couple days ago. I don't know about you guys, but it's moments like this that I am actually glad that I am married. If I had to double date with Johnny or Chet, I honestly don't think I'd last the evening."

Joining the rest of their friends out in the squad room, Johnny and Chet brought their bickering with them.

"Let's ask Mike what he thinks, Chet. He has intelligence. I'm sure he would be able to sort through all of your nonsense."

Mike wasn't really in the mood to weigh in on some silly argument. Fortunately, he was saved by Captain Stanley entering the room.

"Well…C-shift still isn't back yet, and in looking at the log book, they've had a rough shift, so we'll be pretty busy cleaning and checking supplies when they get back. Since we're all here, let's have roll call in the squad room. Have a seat, gentlemen."

Everyone was quick to sit down, with the exception of the quiet engineer.

"Mike, you joining us?"

Sighing softly, Mike nodded his head. "Yep…coming."

As he sat down, Mike caught a quick look from a concerned Marco.

Starting roll call, Hank made all the necessary announcements and handed out the morning assignments.

"Okay, that's it fellas. Let's get to work. As soon as the guys get back…it's right to the vehicle and equipment checks."

As everyone got up to start working, Mike slowly straightened himself up from his chair, something that Hank caught the tail end of.

"Back issues, Mike?" Hank asked with a touch of concern.

Pasting a small smile on his face, and forcing himself to laugh, Mike replied, "Getting old, Cap. I'll get started on the dorms."

Watching as his engineer walked away, Hank wasn't quite sure if he bought Mike's response.

Changing the sheet on the first bed, Mike was surprised at how much discomfort he had in his lower back and mid-section when he leaned over.

Startling him was Chet who came into the room to put something on the night stand beside his bed.

Catching the engineer's reaction, Chet was quite apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Mike. I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to leave this book on the table beside my bed."

"That's okay, Chet. I guess I was just a little too absorbed in my bed making duties," Mike replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah." Before leaving, Chet stood observing the engineer for a few moments. He noticed an awkwardness in his friend, that was quite unusual. "You alright, Mike?"

"Me? I'm fine…just a little tired. Me and Buddy went on a long hike on Tuesday."

Nodding his head, Chet acknowledged his friend's explanation, but wasn't sure if he bought it or not.

"Yeah, okay. See ya later."

It wasn't until just after 8:30 AM did the guys from C-shift finally return.

Greeting their counterparts in the vehicle bay was everyone but Mike.

"You guys finally made it back. We were afraid that we'd have to come looking for you, "commented Johnny with a snicker.

"I wish you had," Charlie Dwyer replied dryly.

Shaking hands with Captain Hookraider, Hank followed the other man to the office to talk for a few minutes.

Tiredly jumping down from the driver's side of the engine, C-shift engineer Kyle McGrath sighed loudly. "Tell Stoker that Big Red has been running a bit rough. I'd stay and help him out, but I am beat."

"No problem Kyle," answered Roy.

"You guys are gonna need a lot of supplies, Roy. We've been nonstop since almost 9 PM last night."

Nodding his head, it was Johnny who acknowledged the paramedic. "Will do, Matt."

Rejoining his crew out in the bay, Hank was pleased that they had wasted no time in getting right to work.

Not seeing his engineer, he asked about Mike's whereabouts. "Where is Mike?"

Marco looked up from what he was doing. "Probably still in the dorm. I'll get him."

When Marco got to the dorm, Mike was changing the sheet on another bed.

"Mike, Cap wants you to start working on the engine. Kyle mentioned something about it running a little rough."

"Yeah, okay. I'll be right there."

Marco wanted to say something to Mike in the worst way, but decided it wasn't his place to…at least not at the moment. And besides, there was too much work to do.

Joining his friends out in the bay, Mike immediately went to work on the engine.

However, it wasn't long before the alarms sounded.

"Station 51…MVA...intersection of Vine and Maple…time out 0842…"

Quickly putting away their equipment, 51's crew jumped into their vehicles, Hank first responding on the radio, before joining the engine crew.

"Station 51 responding, Timeout 0843."

Putting his game face on, Mike was able to push everything else out of his mind, and focus on the job at hand…getting the engine safely to the accident scene.

Arriving at the scene of the accident, Hank along with the two paramedics quickly surveyed the scene. There were two cars, a brown sedan and a tan station wagon that had collided. There were three victims, and fortunately none of them appeared to be seriously injured.

Helping with the extrication of the two victims in the brown sedan, the pain in Mike's mid-section again made itself known, and the familiar flip flop in his stomach reappeared. Mike worked hard to ignore it, and continued to do his job.

Once the three victims were safely extricated, and readied for transport, the engine crew set about cleaning up the scene.

With the victims going to the hospital in two different ambulances, someone else had to drive the squad to Rampart.

"Marco, you take the squad. We'll pick you up as soon as we're done here."

Observing Mike for a few moments, Marco then shook his head. "Sure, Cap."

It was about a half hour later that the engine came by to pick up Marco.

When Marco met his friends outside the E.R. entrance, he looked up at Mike, as he climbed into the cab and took his seat behind the engineer. To him, it had looked like Mike was becoming pale, and just didn't look right, but he still continued to hold his tongue.

Backing up the engine into the station, Mike had to focus really hard to ignore the growing nausea in his stomach.

Parking the engine, Mike continued to sit in the cab, while the rest of the crew had disembarked.

Walking away from the engine, Hank turned around when he realized that Mike was still in the cab.

"You okay, Mike?" he called out to his second in command.

Exhaling slowly, Mike nodded his head. "Fine, Cap. I'll be right out."

Though he had a feeling that Mike wasn't being totally honest with him, he also felt that the engineer didn't look like he was in bad shape, so he let it go.

Over the next couple hours, though the engine was not called out, they had been kept busy with cleaning the engine, and taking care of the hoses.

With his mind occupied on work, for most of that time Mike was not noticing that the pain in his stomach was intensifying. As noon time approached, Marco started preparations for lunch…his famous special tacos.

"Hey Mike, you wanna do me a favor, and taste the chopped meat? See if it tastes okay."

Looking over at Marco as he entered the squad room from the vehicle bay, Mike shook his head.

"I'm not very hungry, Marco. Why don't you ask Chet?"

Catching a whiff of Marco's cooking, what was usually a very pleasant scent to Mike, made him almost gag. Backing off, he realized that he would have to stay back by the couch…any closer, and he'd be cleaning up a mess from the floor.

Returning to the station after a busy morning, Roy and Johnny happily took in the heavenly scent that had started to waft out to the bay.

"Ah…Marco's special tacos…a great meal."

Roy smiled and nodded his agreement.

Calling everyone for lunch, Hank was surprised when Mike was a no show at the table.

"Where's Stoker?"

Putting all the food on the table, Marco wiped his hands on a towel.

"I'll get him," Marco replied.

Tracking his friend down in the dorm, Marco spotted the engineer lying in bed.

"Mike…" he called out softly.

Turning his head at the sound of Marco's voice, Mike found himself looking into the firefighter's brown eyes.

"Hey, Marco," came the soft reply.

"It's lunch time. I gather you won't be eating, but Captain Stanley is asking about you. What is it exactly that you would like me to tell him?"

Thinking quickly, Mike came up with a plausible excuse.

"Tell Captain Stanley that I'm napping. You can tell him that I mentioned to you that I had gone on a long hike a couple days ago, and I was feeling tired."

Standing there with his hands on his hips, Marco shook his head. "Mike, what's really going on?"

Wanting to be left alone, Mike figured that the fastest was way to get rid of Marco was to be honest…then he'd be able to relax in peace.

"My stomach's been bothering me…but it's nothing serious."

"Nothing serious?" Marco repeated incredulously. "You're becoming pale, Mike…and I know that I'm not the only one who's noticing that you're not doing so well."

"Fine…tell him the truth. But I'm fine to work…if I wasn't, I wouldn't be here. You can also tell him that I'm not exactly at death's door."

Saying that last phrase about "not being at death's door", Mike had no idea just how close to death's door he would ultimately come.

Returning to the others, Marco was met by four pairs of questioning eyes.

"Where is he?" Hank asked.

"Resting. He said he was tired from a long hike that he had taken a couple days ago. He also mentioned something about an upset stomach."

Hank looked questioningly at his two paramedics. "What do you guys think?"

Roy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. He seemed alright before. Did his job at that accident scene this morning, just fine."

"We'll keep an eye on him, Cap. If need be, we'll check him out," Johnny added.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Knowing that his friends were on to him, Mike made up his mind to put on a brave face and act like nothing was wrong. It had taken a tremendous amount of self-restraint, but he was somehow able to make it through the rest of the shift, despite the incredible pain in his gut, and thanks to a mixture of antacids and aspirin, which only slightly helped to dim the pain.

The next morning when the morning tones sounded, the men awoke to see Mike's bed empty.

Quickly putting on their turnouts they went out to the squad room. Sitting on the couch, his eyes closed, was Mike.

"Cap, we found him," replied Chet, pointing to the couch.

Observing the engineer, Hank was appalled at just how ill he appeared to be.

Hearing voices in the room, Mike opened his eyes.

"Michael, what's going on?" Hank asked the engineer worriedly.

Looking at his captain, Mike forced a small smile on his face. "Getting old?"

"That crack isn't going to cut it this time. I want the truth. Looking at you right now it's obvious to me…to ALL of us, that you're not doing so well."

"We'll get the equipment, Cap."

Holding up his hand, Mike shook his head. "Not necessary, Roy. Cap, I'll be fine…it's just a stomach bug."

"You sure about that?" Hank asked skeptically.

"Yeah. I'll go home and get right to bed. I'm sure I'll feel better in a couple days."

"Why don't you head out now, Mike? I'll stand down the engine until C-shift gets here."

"I can wait." Just as he said that, Mike felt another wave of pain.

"I'll drive you Mike, "Marco offered.

"Thanks for the offer, Marco, but I can make it home just fine. You don't mind if I head out now, Cap?"

"No…get outta here. If you need anything…call me."

Smiling appreciatively through his discomfort, Mike peeled himself off of the couch, and made his way to the locker room to change.

"One of you guys want to get the coffee going? I have a couple phone calls to make."

While Chet started the coffee going, Marco went to the locker room to check on his friend.

"Mike…" he called out softly.

Looking up from tying his sneakers, the engineer gave Marco a half smile. "I'll be fine, Marco. I appreciate your concern. I'll go home, and me and Buddy will spend the rest of the day relaxing in bed…he'll enjoy that. We're usually always on the go, so a break will be nice. Thanks for being a good friend, but please don't worry about me."

Straightening up with some difficulty, Mike took his overnight bag out of his locker, and closed the door.

"Mike, what Captain Stanley said…it goes for me, too. If you need help …call me."

"I will."

Watching as Mike walked away, Marco started to get annoyed that more wasn't done to convince Mike to get checked out.

Out in the parking lot, almost to his truck, Mike was stopped dead in his tracks by a shooting pain in his stomach, followed by a powerful muscle contraction that forced the meager contents in his stomach, to come out. Standing there trying to catch his breath, Mike wanted to get home, and into bed, in the worst way.

The arrangements that Mike had with his neighbor, was that after they took care of Buddy in the morning, that they would let him back into the house, and he'd be there to greet Mike when he returned home from duty.

That morning was no exception. When Mike entered his house, he was met by Buddy, who immediately sensed that something was wrong. Instead of his usual exuberant greeting, Buddy stood still, looking up at Mike, his blue eyes reflecting his owner's current state of misery.

"Hey Buddy. If it's okay with you…we're gonna lay low today. Come on, boy."

Slowly making his way up the stairs, Mike was followed very closely by Buddy.

Arriving at his bedroom, Mike started to peel off his clothes. As miserable as he was feeling, he wanted to take a shower. He also thought that maybe he would feel a little better if he was clean.

Entering the bathroom, Mike turned on the shower. As he was preparing to go inside the stall, Buddy had nudged the door open with his nose, and lied down on the tile floor next to the shower. Mike thought it was a little odd for Buddy to have done that, but then again he realized that the dog had never been with him when he wasn't feeling so well. It made him glad that he had a protector.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

While Mike was showering at home, the rest of his friends were getting ready to go home, as B-shift had arrived to start their shift.

"How come you guys didn't do more to make sure that Mike was alright?" Marco asked the two paramedics in an almost accusatory tone.

Roy understood that Marco was upset about Mike, but didn't appreciate being challenged like that.

"Marco, I get that you're upset about Mike, but you do realize that he is an adult. Unless his job performance warrants it, we don't have the right to make him submit to anything. He did his job just fine this shift. If he wasn't feeling well enough to continue, I am most positive that he would have said something to Captain Stanley…but he didn't. Mike isn't dumb…if he's really hurting that bad…he'll seek help…trust me. If it'll make you feel better, either me or Johnny will stop by and check on him later. I'm sure a day in bed resting is what the doctor ordered."

"He'll be fine, Marco," Johnny added. "I'll swing by later…maybe bring over some chicken soup."

The two paramedics said good-bye to Chet and Marco, and left.

"Maybe they're right, Marco. Mike is a big boy. If he needed help, he'd call for some. He's got five people who will all be looking out for him. I'll call you later."

Marco nodded his head. "Yeah. See ya, Chet."

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Once in the shower, Mike was having trouble standing up straight. The pain and nausea that he had in his stomach was almost unbearable.

Somehow getting through the shower, Mike turned off the water, and started to open the door…that's when his trouble started.

No longer able to handle the pain that he was in he became lightheaded and passed out, landing on the bathroom floor with a thud.

Seeing Mike on the floor, Buddy knew that something was wrong. In a Lassie type moment, Buddy ran downstairs and started to bark loudly.

Next door, Debra Carpenter and her husband Tim, who lovingly took care of Buddy when Mike was working, and had taken care of Spencer before him, were sitting down to a late breakfast when they heard the loud barking.

"That sounds just like Buddy, Tim."

"Yeah, it does," Tim replied, agreeing with his wife.

"He hardly ever barks. Maybe we should check it out."

Walking next door to Mike's house, Debra and Tim could hear the barking getting louder. They could also see Buddy in the window, looking quite animated.

"Something's wrong, Tim. We need to go in."

Unlocking the front door with the key that Mike had given them years ago, Tim and Debra entered the house quietly. It was eerily quiet, except for Buddy's barking.

"Mike…" Tim called out loudly.

Running up the stairs, Buddy was able to direct them to where Mike was sprawled out on the bathroom floor.

Following the dog, they were shocked to see Mike on the floor, undressed from obviously having come out of the shower, and a small pool of blood collecting under his head.

"Call the fire department, Debra," Tim instructed in a calm voice.

While his wife went to call for help, Tim grabbed a towel to cover Mike up.

"Mike…can you hear me? It's Tim Carpenter."

Met only by several low moans, Tim knew that Mike was in some serious trouble.

"Relax, Mike…help is on the way. Just don't move."

While waiting for the paramedics to arrive, Tim stayed with Mike, while Debra waited downstairs. Buddy continued to stay by Mike's side, one of his paws touching Mike's right hand.

"Good boy, Buddy…good boy."

Checking Mike's pulse, he found it to be on the weak side, and pretty rapid. He also noted that Mike was quite warm, however he didn't know if it was from him just having taken a shower, or if the man was sick.

Getting up, Tim walked to Mike's bed, and pulled the comforter off, and covered him up with it.

Hearing sirens approaching the house, both Debra and Tim were relieved that help was now there.

Walking up Mike's front walk, were the two paramedics from 51's B-shift…Shane Nichols and Adam Cartwright.

It wasn't until they recognized Mike's pick-up truck, did they realize whose house they were at.

"What do we have?" Adam asked Debra as she met them at the door.

"It's my neighbor Mike. He fell in his bathroom….hit his head."

Following the woman up the stairs, they were shocked to see that it was in fact Mike Stoker who was on the bathroom floor.

Also arriving at the house was Johnny's police officer friend, Murphy Greenbush. Unlike the two paramedics, he knew right away whose house it was. Joining the others upstairs, he was able to get a reluctant Buddy away from Mike so the paramedics could work on him.

"It's okay, boy," Murphy soothed to the dog. "Mike's in good hands."

Having brought in a back board and c-collar at the report of a possible head injury, the paramedics worked on stabilizing his neck and spine, first. Rolling Mike over, very carefully, they were very respectful of his privacy. Taking care of a gash on his left temple that was caused by his head making contact with the hard tiled floor, the paramedics examined the rest of him.

"Get Rampart on the line, Shane. I'll get his vitals."

"Rampart, this is Squad 51…how do you read?"

"Go ahead, 51…we read you loud and clear," responded the voice of Doctor Early.

"Rampart, we have a male, aged 34…victim of a fall in the bathroom…appears to have fallen while coming out of the shower…currently unconscious…head injury suspected…gash to left temple…patient also appears to be febrile…pulse is weak and rapid…vitals are…"

"51, use full spinal precautions, and start an IV lactated Ringer's."

"Ten-four, Rampart. ETA is ten minutes."

Starting the IV on Mike, the two paramedics prepared to roll him onto the backboard.

"One of you guys want to go downstairs and meet the ambulance attendants?" Adam asked.

Five minutes later Mike was all set for transport.

"We're taking him to Rampart General Hospital. If there are any calls that you need to make…"

Murphy held up his hand. "I'll take care of that, Adam."

Following the stretcher down the stairs, Buddy was beside himself. He instinctively knew that he wouldn't be able to go in the ambulance, and instead stood at Mike's front door, watching as Mike was loaded into the ambulance.

"Is there anything else you can tell me about what happened?" Murphy asked the couple.

"No. Just that we heard Buddy barking and came over to see what was going on. He led us right to Mike."

Squatting down, Murphy rubbed Buddy's ears. "You did good, Buddy boy. Your daddy's gonna be fine…thanks to you, and a couple other folks."

"If it's okay with you officer Greenbush, we'll take Buddy back to our house. Please keep us posted on how Mike is doing."

"I will. Thanks for the help."

After shaking both Debra and Tim's hand, Murphy left to go to Rampart.

At the hospital, Mike had arrived at the E.R. and was promptly greeted by a very surprised Doctor Early and Dixie McCall.

"Room four," directed Dixie.

As Mike was gently transferred from the stretcher to the exam bed, he still hadn't regained consciousness.

Giving orders to the other nurses and orderlies, Doctor Early turned around to face the paramedic.

"Any other information, Shane?"

"No. He came off shift this morning. Maybe Johnny or Roy know something."

"Okay."

"Anything else I can do?"

"No…we have it from here…thanks."

When Shane made his way out to the hallway, he was met by both his partner Adam, and a very worried Murphy Greenbush.

"How is he?" Murphy asked, worried but trying to keep his composure.

"I don't know. Will you be calling Johnny? Doctor Early wants to know if they have any other information that might help him to figure out what's going on with Mike."

"Yeah, I'll call him now."

"We have to get going. We'll check on Mike later," said Adam, as he shook Murphy's hand.

Using the phone in the employee lounge, Murphy dialed Johnny's number.

Answering the phone, Johnny got chills when he recognized Murphy's voice. He had a bad feeling that he knew what this was about.

When Murphy told him what happened to Mike, Johnny had become physically ill.

"He…he wasn't feeling well during the shift. He mentioned something about his stomach bothering him. Captain Stanley let him go home early this morning…he wasn't doing so well. I'll call Roy and the others. His folks will have to be called, too. Captain Stanley will probably want to do that. Thanks for letting me know about Mike, Murph. I'll be right there."

Giving Doctor Early the additional information, Murphy waited around for another few minutes, before he was called away.

After various tests and x-rays, it was discovered that Mike had been suffering from acute appendicitis, and that it had probably ruptured. Quickly prepared for surgery, he had already been whisked away to the O.R. when the guys had arrived at the E.R.

Meeting Dixie, Hank asked the big question.

"How is he, Dixie? Is he going to be okay?"

Sighing softly, the nurse nodded her head. "He should be okay. He's got a moderate concussion from the fall. But most importantly his appendix ruptured. Doctor Early is hopeful that he can get the appendix out, and give him medication to help with the infection. He's in serious shape, though. Were his parents notified yet?"

Hank nodded his head. "Yes. I called them before I left the house. They're flying in from Florida. They'll be here sometime this evening."

"Good. You fellas can wait here, or in the O.R. waiting area. Doctor Early will let you know how things went as soon as he can."

Touching the captain's hand, Dixie smiled warmly and returned to work.

The five men stood quietly. They were all thinking the same thing…if they had only been more pro-active with Mike during the shift he wouldn't be in the mess that he was currently in. Marco was especially hard on himself. He knew that Mike hadn't been feeling well from the beginning, and yet he chose not to say anything about it to anyone. There was plenty of guilt to go around.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

At Tim and Debra's house, Buddy curled up on their couch, his head resting on the arm rest, and looking out the window in Mike's house's direction.

Sitting beside him, Debra rubbed his back.

"You're a hero, Buddy…a hero just like your daddy."

"I thought a dog like Lassie was only in the movies or on TV…but now I know they are real. Buddy saved Mike's life. I guess there was a reason they ended up together."

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

After two hours of surgery, Doctor Early came out to the waiting room to update Mike's friends on his condition.

Seeing the perspiration stained doctor approaching them, the five men all stood up.

"How is he, doc?" Johnny asked.

"He's stable, and should be fine. The appendix did rupture, though. We had to insert a tube to help with drainage of infection. On top of that he does have a concussion and rather nasty gash on his forehead. But…we managed to stitch him up. We're going to keep him in the ICU for a few days. He should hopefully be able to go home in a week or so. His family notified?"

Hank nodded his head. "Yes. They'll be here sometime this evening…flying in from Florida."

"Good. He's going to be in recovery for a while. I'd suggest that you gentlemen go get some coffee or something. You should be able to see him for a little while, in a couple hours. I'll find you and let you know, okay?"

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Having been transferred to the ICU, Mike was currently floating, unsure of what was going on. He didn't know if he was awake or asleep. Several visions appeared to him…the first one was of his beloved deceased dog Spencer, a handsome black lab. Spencer was lying in the bed next to him, his head resting on Mike's stomach. He also saw his dog Buddy, who was lying on his bed by Mike's feet. He saw his mom and dad sitting in chairs beside his bed, holding his hand, and stroking his hair. He also saw his friends from the station…they were all standing on the other side of his bed. Mike became confused, unsure of what was going on.

Opening his eyes, Mike was met by the smiling face of his nurse who had been sitting in a chair beside his bed, waiting for him to wake up.

"Hi there, Mike. You decided to come back to us," the nurse said with a warm smile.

"What happened?" Mike rasped out softly.

"You had surgery to remove your appendix…but you're going to be fine. Are you up for some visitors? Your friends want to say a quick hello."

Mike nodded his head slightly. "Mom and dad?"

"It's my understanding that your folks will be here later tonight. They're flying in from the east coast."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Mike remembered that his folks did in fact live out east.

"I'll get your friends. Try not to do too much talking."

Going out to the ICU waiting room, the nurse told Hank and company that they were able to see Mike now.

"You can see him for a few minutes, but no more than that, okay?"

Entering Mike's room, they were struck by how badly he looked. The guilt that they had all been struggling with had intensified as soon as they saw their friend lying there looking so vulnerable.

"Mike…it's Captain Stanley and the guys. You hear me, pal?"

Opening his eyes, Mike was able to crack a small smile for his friends.

"Hear ya fine," came the very soft reply.

Mike seemingly had no recollection of what had happened to him over the last 24 hours, so his friends didn't brig anything about it up.

"I'm glad you're okay, Stoke," Chet said to his friend. "I'll make sure Big Red stays in good shape."

"Thanks, Chet. Buddy…"

"Your neighbors are taking good care of him. They said that they'll keep him at their house until you're well enough to go home," answered Johnny.

Seeing his eyes get heavier and heavier, they knew that Mike was about to fall asleep again.

"We'll check on you later, pal. You get some more rest. Your parents will be here sometime tonight."

Mike again nodded his head then his blue eyes slid shut.

Continuing their vigil in the ICU waiting room, the only thing the guys could talk about was their collective failure in identifying the fact that Mike had been in a bad way all during the previous shift, and that here he was in the ICU paying for it…almost with his life.

Around seven o'clock, Doctor Early returned to the ICU with Mike's parents, Marty and Maxine, in tow.

"Hank," Marty greeted, holding his hand out for the captain to shake.

"Marty…Maxi…" Hank returned, kissing Mike's mother on her cheek.

"I told them that they could see Mike for a few minutes then I think all of you need to head out. Mike needs his rest. He should be more alert tomorrow."

Everyone nodded their head in understanding. When it came to all things medical, Doctor Early outranked all of them.

"Marty, I'll keep you and Maxi posted on Mike's condition. Where will you be staying?"

Before they could answer, Hank smiled. "They'll be staying with me and my wife. The number's on file."

"Hank, that's not necessary. Marty and I will stay at a hotel. Then when Mike comes home, we'll stay with him at his place."

"Maxi, tonight the two of you will stay at my house. I'll wait here for you while you see Mike."

Realizing that there was nothing else for them to do for Mike that evening, Roy, Johnny, Marco, and Chet said their good night's and left for the evening.

In Mike's room, his parents were at his bedside.

"Michael…it's mom and dad. Are you with us?"

Hearing the sweet voice of his mother, Mike forced himself to open his eyes.

"That's it, sweetheart."

Bending down, Maxi gave her son a kiss on his forehead.

"Mom…dad…" came out the words softly.

"You don't have to talk, Mike…save your strength," encouraged his father.

"My fault…dumb," said Mike softly.

"It's not your fault, Mike…these things happen. And you certainly aren't dumb," replied Maxi, patting Mike's right hand.

Looking at his watch, Mike's father nodded to his wife. "We should get going, Maxi."

"Okay. You get lots of rest, sweetheart. Your father and I will be back in the morning. I love you so much."

Both parents kissed Mike's forehead, and then left to join Hank who was waiting for them.

In Hank's car on the way home, he told Mike's parents about the previous shift, and how Mike didn't appear to be feeling well. Hank wanted to clear the air about it…he felt that guilty.

"It wasn't your fault, Hank. You of all people oughta know by now, just how stubborn Mike is. This is on Mike…he should have known better," replied Marty.

Marty and Maxi tried to ease Hank's conscience, but they weren't very successful.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Over the next several days, Mike had regained some of his strength, and was moved out of the ICU.

At Doctor Early's suggestion, Mike's parents brought Buddy in to the hospital to see Mike. During the previous few days, Buddy had become quite depressed at not being able to see Mike. Mike's memory of those two days had come back to him. He was amazed, but not surprised that Buddy had done what he had done.

Sitting up in bed, talking to Chet and Marco, Mike's face lit up when he saw a black nose peeking through his door.

"Buddy…" Mike called out.

Appearing at the door, were his parents, with Buddy on a leash.

Entering the room as cautiously as they could, Marty and Maxi were barely able to control the happy dog.

Buddy went over to the bed, and seemingly mindful of Mike's tubes and wires, put his head on Mike's lap.

Looking down at his dog, while petting his head, and rubbing his ears, Mike wore a big smile on his face…something that had been missing for over a week.

"My Buddy…missed you, boy. I don't know what I would have done without you. Guess we're even now. I saved you from the pound…and you saved my life."

**The End**


End file.
